The Conquest of Neverland
by girl-in-blue-dress
Summary: Jim Hawkins is among the survivors who flee the planet Montressor. They seek refuge in Neverland, where they threaten to build civilization and exploit the natives. The immortality of Peter Pan is threatened. Once the youthful spirit of Neverland is dead, he will die with it. But with the help from Wendy back in London, can Neverland survive the Montressor conquest? Wendy/Jim.
1. Author's Note

Our story begins after the events of _Treasure Planet_ and _Peter Pan._

An incoming asteroid is about to collide with Montressor, the mining planet that supports humans and aliens to coexist on solar energy and advanced machinery. Montressor is about to perish. The future of the Montressorians is threatened. The Montressorians must quickly find another life source that will allow the Montressorian race to survive the impending attack. After extensive investigation and circumnavigation around the planet's orbit, voyagers find a star that glows full of life. This is the second star to the right, and straight on till morning. After researchers conclude that the second star to the right proves to have a promising life source, the people of Montressor evacuate the planet just days before the explosion, and make the journey to where life is guaranteed to thrive.

The Montressor survivors settle on the island that we all remember as Neverland. Upon their arrival, they encounter the fairies from Pixie Hollow, the natives from the Indian encampment, and the mermaids from the lagoon. The Neverlanders feel threatened as soon as the survivors dock on the shore: the Montressorian guns, weapons, and tanks prompt the Neverlanders to take severe precaution. The leaders of the Montressorians, aware that they are not welcome, decide to take matters into their own hands: seize the island themselves, and eliminate the savage Neverlanders to make way for a new way of life.

The Montressorians begin to establish civilization on Neverland. There, they force the Neverlanders into labor and slavery. The mermaids who once combed their beautiful hair in Mermaid Lagoon are now forced to find food from the sea to feed the Montressorians. The natives who once lived peacefully in their camp are forced into hunting lest they be punished for their lack of cooperation. The people of Montressor enslave the fairies, forcing them to build their homes and machines. After many intensive weeks of exploitation and exhaustion, the fairies' lives are on the brink of extinction. If the Neverland fairies die out completely, the life of Earth will also be threatened once there are no more fairies to nurture and care for life on Earth.


	2. Grown Up

"Perp juice coming right up!"

A fifteen-year-old with brown hair and pale, but sparkling blue eyes skated through the room with built-in solar pumps. He swiftly and deftly placed down all of the requested dishes for the Benbow Inn's customers, and finally ended with the perp juice.

"Whoa, careful there! Don't spill - !"

"_Attention all people of Montressor. Three days ago, Montressor Space Port researchers spotted a planet sized body some few light years away is coming toward Montressor. Just today researchers have publicly released their suspicions that this planet sized body is an asteroid about seven miles in diameter. The Montressor Space Society, although they cannot conclude whether this could pose a threat to our planet, asks that all remain calm about the situation and make no evacuation attempts until further investigation is carried out."_

All day long, the radio buzzed with updates on the mysterious asteroid that was coming toward the planet Montressor. The Benbow Inn, although usually packed with loud, chattering families, remained silent after the most recent update echoed within the tiny walls. Sarah Hawkins, the inn keeper, had to shut off the whistling kettle just to hear the news.

"An asteroid! Seven miles!"

"Evacuate? You mean, we have to leave?!"

Sarah Hawkins could no longer stand the anxiety that filled the inn. She briefly placed down a tray of dirty dishes to hold her head into her hands. All this talk about the asteroid and its potential threat only made her job more difficult than it needed to be.

"But Mummy, I don't want to leave home!"

"Oh, goodness! If we have to evacuate, I should pack my things!"

Sarah Hawkins couldn't listen to the frantic customers any longer. Her forehead was drenched with sweat and her vision began to blur. After taking one more step, the tray of dirty dishes fell to the floor, and so did she.

"MOM!"

"Oh, Jim, my son…"

"Mom, I got you!" Fifteen-year-old Jim Hawkins took his mother's arm around his shoulder as he led to her to an empty table. He then fetched a cup of cold water. "Mom, it's no big deal. This whole asteroid baloney. They say this stuff all the time and nothing happens!"

"Oh, Jim. I don't know why I'm feeling so whoozy today. The customers seem more frantic about this than before."

"Mom, don't sweat it…" He took a clean towel to wipe her sweaty forehead. "Literally."

Sarah gave her son a weak, but genuine smile. Her son: a grown, responsible young man. She was so glad to see Jim was finally turning around after he had returned from Treasure Planet six months ago. The journey had changed his attitude toward life completely around. He became more content, positive, optimistic. It was just like old times before his father had left them: Jim was somehow still the happy little boy who was always inventing new things to help him fly. In fact, Jim's series of felonies seemed to have died down since he returned home. Instead of going out to solar surf in prohibited areas, he was often seen helping his mom table the Benbow Inn. The boy had certainly learned a thing or two about responsibility, it seemed. Although his behavior was drastically different than before, Sarah very much appreciated the sudden change. Her baby boy was grown up.

"Well, whatever happens, Mom, I'll never leave you." Jim finished with a swift kiss on the cheek before taking the broom to clean up the mess Sarah had made on the floor.

* * *

"_We interrupt this program with breaking news. The Monstressor Space Society has confirmed the asteroid's target. Two days from now, the planet we all know and love will be obliterated by the seven mile diameter asteroid. Orders of evacuation shall be made within the next twenty-four hours. Please contact your local police department for more information regarding the evacuation plan. Good luck, all of you, and may God bless Montressor."_

Sarah could not believe her ears, that she dropped a stack of seven dishes clean on the floor. "No. It can't be…!" she choked on her tears and ran upstairs to her room.

"Mom!"

"Jim, give her some time to take it in," Dr. Delbert Doppler grabbed Jim's shoulders before he could run after her. "She needs time to recuperate before she can think straight."

"But, Doppler. This is really happening. We're actually leaving Montressor…" Jim couldn't handle the revelation, that he banged his fists onto the walls of the inn.

"Jim, easy!"

"Doppler! Don't you get it? This is the perfect time to panic! This, all this… it will be gone in a matter of days!"

"Jim, I know. It's tough to accept these things, but we must make the best of this situation and try to survive this."  
"But, Doppler… This is my home. OUR home! What we will become after all this? Where will they take us to?"

"I don't know, Jim. I wish I knew. But wherever we go, I hope the authorities have the time they need to make these arrangements."

Jim's heart kept pounding. It had been doing so since the news rang in five minutes ago. His mind began to flood with memories of the home he was born and raised in. The place where he took his first steps, the place where all of his earliest memories occurred, even the place where he was abandoned by his father. In just about forty-eight hours, the Benbow Inn will be just a memory, and nothing more than that.

The fifteen-year-old pushed the doctor away before he could reveal the tears. Covering his eyes, he rushed up to his room and crash landed onto his bed.

* * *

The Benbow Inn served its last meal for the day, and possibly forever. Sarah had decided to keep the inn closed for tomorrow so that all of the chefs could spend the rest of the day packing and making evacuation arrangements.

Jim was on his bed, flipping through the pages of his old adventure tale storybooks. A lot of them contained drawings he had drew in when he was five years old. His favorite one was the book about Captain Flint and his treasure stash kept hidden on Treasure Planet. He loved that book dearly, and he still did. He was tempted to take the book along with him, but he knew there were more important things to pack. More practical things they needed for survival.

_Knock knock._

"Come in."

It was his mother. Her eyes were droopy and the ends of her lips fell into a permanent frown. Wrapped around her arms was a bulky white book. "Jim, I wanted to show you something." She opened one of the pages to a picture of Jim, when he was about seven or eight, flying on his first homemade solar surfer.

"Whoa, mom! That was so long ago…"

Sarah finally broke into a smile. "Your father, if he were here, he would have been so proud to see what you have accomplished."

Jim tried his best to smile, for he hated bringing up the subject of his father. It was like a taboo. Mentioning 'dad' at all in the house caused Jim to shut himself away. But now, he was sharing a heartfelt moment with his mother, the one he always remained loyal to.

Sarah shut the book before taking Jim's face into her soft hands. "Jim, I know this is a big change, for all of us. But I know you can get through this, because you have the bravest soul I know. You're much braver than your father, because you have the courage to accept change into your life. I know this, because ever since you came back from Treasure Planet, you have become a changed man."

Jim's eyes lit up. "Me? A man?"

Sarah offered a cheerful giggle that causes the end of Jim's smile to curl. "Honey, if you can handle that Treasure Planet disaster, you can handle this disaster, too!"

"_We _can."

Sarah gave an assuring nod, before taking the blanket over Jim's shoulders. "Good night dearie." It was just like old times, when Sarah would finish reading a story to Jim, and tuck him into bed so that he could dream of all the adventures he would one day experience the thrills of.

* * *

_"Ah-choo!"_

For the past three hours, Wendy Moira Angela Darling had been sifting through her dusty closets, looking for old dolls and storybooks to be donated to the children's hospital. The girl had just turned fourteen as of yesterday, and today she was not only trying to clear out her old childish toys, but she was also moving out of the nursery she had shared with her brothers for so many years.

Her slender fingers stroked the fine silk dress of a porcelain doll she had kept tucked in her closet. The doll's curls remained intact, albeit her face was somewhat scratched. "Poor thing! I hope the children won't mind that she's scratched." And without hesitation, she put the doll into a box she had marked 'FOR THE GREAT ORMOND CHILDREN HOSPITAL'.

Her fingers next found a dusty leather-bound book. Taking the book out, the cover caused colorful flashbacks to suddenly creep into her mind.

_Cinderella. The servant girl who found her prince with a glass slipper._

_Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The princess who cared for seven little men._

_Sleeping Beauty. The damsel who dreamed of her princess to wake her up from eternal slumber._

All of her favorite stories were packed into this one treasure. It had been more than a year since she had last leafed through these pages. She took one last flip through all of its pages, carefully spotting the pictures of the beautiful princesses and their happily ever after moments.

_Oh, the memories of them all!_

It had been about a year and a half since she had left her bedroom window to escape adulthood. A fairy-like immortal boy in green offered her the solution to all of her troubles: never grow up. Wendy and her brothers, John and Michael, won over by temptation, made the ultimate decision to journey to Neverland, the island where no one ever had to grow up. The island where beautiful mermaids combed their hair, where Indian braves danced the night away around the fire, where pirates pillaged and plundered for treasure, and where fairies from Pixie Hollow prepared for a new season on Earth.

But Wendy knew she couldn't stay forever, as tempting as it was. She had a duty back home to her family. She had a duty to grow up.

To this day, Wendy knew she still made the best decision to leave and reunite with her family. And she had kept her promise to her father that she would have to leave the nursery and move into a room of her own. Today, that promise was going to be fulfilled. Again, without any hesitation, she carefully placed the great book of fairytales into her box of mementos that would be missed. She took one last look at the cover before shutting away the box, forever sending away the memories of her favorite stories.

It was if she was shipping her childhood away in a box, to be shared and loved by sick children.

After she finished packing away all of her old toys and books, Wendy carried the box away from the nursery. Before stepping out, she took one last look at the nursery. The side of the room closest to the door was now empty, and could be used for additional space for the boys' needs. The window through which the Darling children flew was wide open, and even from her place at the door, she could still see the second star to the right, glimmering as brightly and distinctly as ever.

"All good things must come to an end." And with that, she shut the lights off before exiting her former bedroom, and gates to childhood. At least there was a reason why we were meant to have memories.


	3. Departure

"Squeeeee-merrrrr-meeeeeeeeep!"

A pink blob emerged from behind Jim's head as he and his mother stood among a crowd of thousands waiting to board the ship that will depart Montressor. They only had approximately two hours to get on the ship, for impact was predicted to happen only an hour after the ship's launch.

"Morph, it's alright, buddy! We're just gonna go on a little trip…" He heaved a sigh. "Well, more like a long trip…"

"Jim, careful with the perp sack. We don't want them to get bruised by the time we need to eat them". Sarah was carrying three large bags of clothes, necessities, and other irreplaceable items. Meanwhile, she had asked Jim to handle their sacks of food as well as his own belongings onto the ship.

"Mom, it's fine, I got this baby. No perp of ours is going to go black by the time we finish them."  
"I know, Jim. But now's not the time to make light of the situation. Stay close to me so we don't get lost in this mob."

Jim rolled his eyes in response to his mother's stern words. Just two days ago she had praised him for being more grown up. Now she saw him as her baby boy again in this time of uncertainty and confusion. "Whatever you say, Mom…" Meanwhile, Morph jollily bounced around with smiles as a sluggish-looking crowd waited for their time to get on the ship.

The spaceport had never been this packed before. Not only was it crowded on ground level, but so was above it. Hundreds of small flying taxis and ships came in all at once, dropping off passengers and unloading all of the belongings they could carry with them. Entrance to the ship had already commenced approximately thirty minutes ago, but the process was a slow one, for all evacuees needed to be checked by the security before settling into the ships.

Jim was growing irksome from it all. _Stupid crowd…_ _Why can't we just get on already?_ He caught himself with surprise at this thought. Just yesterday, while he was busy packing, he seemed so reluctant to leave the home he knew all his life. Now, the stress and anxiety from the crowd just annoyed him to the point that he only cared for his comfort. He couldn't wait to just plop on the bunk and outstretch his feet. They were going to be standing there for at least an hour, watching the line slowly get shorter until it was their turn.

"Mom, where are Doppler and Captain Amelia?"  
"Probably somewhere in the crowd, or on one of the ships. I just hope they will be safe during the journey…"

"I just hope we see them again…"

* * *

The time to unwind finally came. After an hour of waiting, Jim could finally kick off his shoes and lie flat on his back. Even in the event of the emergency, the ship's quarters were actually fairly comfortable – enough to ease everyone of the stress of leaving home. No wonder they wanted to make this place feel like home.

"Say, Mom, did they ever tell us where we were going?"

"I don't know, Jim. I never had the time to call the agency about it because of all the packing I needed to do. Perhaps ask one of the crew on the ship. They should know about it."

And with that, Jim quickly fastened on his shoes and jumped out of his bunk. It was strange that the evacuees were heading to a place no one knew where, or even knew about. It just seemed too fishy to give into. And Jim was going to get to the bottom of this right now. "Morph, you stay with Mom and help her unpack. I'm going to have a word with the captain of the ship."

"Jim, really now?" Sarah was going through his luggage and found his old treasure hunting books. "Of all things, you had to bring these along?"

"Hey Mom, you said to take things that were not replaceable."

"Oh, somehow I knew you were still a kid at heart." She then gave Jim a small grin, the first time she had done so since they departed the Benbow Inn forever.

* * *

Before meeting with the Captain, Jim was going to quench his thirst. He made his way over to the complimentary bar and asked for a glass of perp juice. "Hey, thanks, man," he added with a nod to the bartender before taking a large gulp of his favorite beverage…

… only to find himself drenched by his own drink.

"Whoa, man, sorry about that!"

Jim flushed a shade of red as he picked up the spilled cup off the ground. He had clumsily bumped into a tall, burly fox-like man in uniform. "Sir, I apologize for that… That was so stupid of me."

"Me boy, it's quite alrigh'! Accidents happen e'en to the best of us."

"Here." Jim grabbed a stack of paper towels and offered them to the fox.

"Thanks, me lad," acknowledged the fox as he began to absorb all the purple stains off his uniform. As he tended to his clothes, Jim noticed his name was engraved on a silver plated name tag. 'Captain Maurice Fox.'

_Whoa, this is the guy I've been needing to talk to. _"Excuse me, do you happen to be captain of the ship?" ventured Jim.

"Why yeh, me lad! Captain Maurice Fox, nice to meet ya." He offered his furry hand to Jim.

"Yeah, read the name tag. I'm Jim, by the way. Jim Hawkins."

Fox's mouth dropped as soon as Jim ended with his name. "Ye don' say! This be the real Jim Hawkins? Well, bless me soul! The 'hole planet knows about your discovery of ol' Treasure Planet! What was it like out there, boy?"

Jim raised an eyebrow at his surprised reaction. He didn't realize that the expedition actually made him… _famous_. He shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, well it was no big deal I guess. All I did was help the crew get back to Montressor Space Port."

"Jim, you be too humble! E'eryone knows you led the way out of that hell hole! Come now, let me take you down to the captain's quarters. Anyone valiant enough to risk his life for the crew deserves to stand in the company of my fine crew."

Jim gave another shrug. "Well, whatever you say, sir. I'm really not that big of a deal. I just work as a waiter at my mom's restaurant." _Maybe, this might be the perfect excuse to ask him where the heck they will be taking us… _

"Hey, if you don't mind asking me, can you tell us where you will be taking us?" He gave Fox a skeptical eye brow raise. "Seems a little fishy that you're guaranteeing our safety, and yet you won't let us know where we will be going."

"Well, aren't you a curious l'ttle lad!" Fox nudged Jim in a playful manner. "Boys like you. Always asking questions."

Jim wasn't amused by the captain's cheekiness, nor did he appreciate his light-hearted attitude in this moment of crisis. "Well, it'd be nice to know where we are going to spend the rest of our lives. I mean, after all, we _are_ leaving behind a place most of us knew for all our lives."

"Not a problem, Jimmy boy. Come now, we'll discuss that once we get to the captain's quarters." With that, he put his arm around Jim's shoulder and led him up the grand steps.

* * *

"G'day crew! I'd like ta introduce ye to a lad I met at the bar. Ol' fella spilled some perp juice on me, but ye'll never guess who he is! Jimmy Hawkins! The lad who led the RLS Legacy out of Treasure Planet!"

"Well, you don't say!" cried a few sailors.

"You mean, _the Jim Hawkins?_"

"Ye famous, lad!"

Jim couldn't help but offer a nervous smile as the sailors in the room praised him for his heroic efforts. "Guys, thanks… but really, I didn't do that much…"

"Oh ho, don't be so modest Jim boyo!" Fox playfully nudged Jim once more. "No matter how much ye gonna dumb yeself down, everyone on this ship knows ye got a bright future ahead of ye."

Jim shrugged his shoulders, although he still managed to keep a small smile. "Gee, thanks. I've gotten that a lot before… Appreciate it."

"Well, Jimmy, as promised, 'ere are the captain's quarters. This 'ere is the lounge where all sailors need a lil' time to unwind! We've got a bar, high definition pictures, anything ye can think of as home." Fox then led Jim to the sailor bunks. "A little stuffy in here, and it tend to get rocky from faulty gravitation controls, but comfortable nonetheless."

The whole time, Jim was barely listening to the captain ramble and boast about how great his crib was. Sure, it was visually appealing and appeared a lot more comfortable than the bunks for the passengers, but that was one of the things he could care less about.

"And this 'ere is my office…"

"Erm, Captain. Hate to interrupt, but we were going to talk about – "

Fox stopped and paused. "Oh yeh, where were we…?"

"Um, about where you guys plan on taking us?"

"Oh yeh, that's right me lad!" Fox pulled out from his desk a yard by yard scroll. He unraveled the scroll to reveal a map of where the ship will be taking them: a green volcanic-looking island in the middle of the sea.

"Um, where is that exactly?" Jim raised another skeptical brow.

"We don' know what it's called yet, lad! But one thing's fer sure, it's _filled_ with life and e'ergy. Plenty of food and resources for us to keep the Montressorians alive! The journey is only a few stars away. It should take less than a week to arrive the'e safely."

Jim gave a small snort. "You mean, this is in a star? An island in a star?"

"Thas' right me boyo! The Montressor Space Society commissioned me and the crew to find a safe refugee site for the survivors. We didn't get very far 'cause of the little time we have to get e'erybody safe, but I can tell ye it's going to be a marvelous site!

Jim was not amazed by the prospect of living on a secluded island surrounded by only a body of water. "I dunno, doesn't sound as 'marvelous' as Montressor." He looked out of the window where he caught his final view of the planet he was born and raised in. "I'm sure gonna miss this place…" He tried his best to not get all emotional in front of a pompous captain he had just met. The last thing he wanted was someone who had so much respect for his hero duty see him cry and think of him as a wussy.

"Cheer up, Jimmy! Ye can't say ye won't like the island when you haven't even seen it yet!"

"I – I guess so…" Jim replied sluggishly.

"Well, we don' know if we will live there permanently. But if the people want to, we will see what we can do abou' that!"

Jim suddenly remembered that Fox had mentioned 'plenty of life' was on the island. That posed a good question. Would they be interacting with a different sort of species? "But, what if there are other creatures living there? Do they know about this? That we are seeking refuge?"

"Unfortunately not, me lad. We have never seen, or 'eard of the island before. We don' even know if anyone is living on it at all. We tried to send a signal to the island, 'oping they would receive it and get in contact with us. Sadly, no one picked up."

"So, I guess the best we can do is hope for the best, then?"

"Thas right, lad. I wouldn't worry too much. We mean no harm at all. All we need is a place to temporarily land on so we can figure out where our next course will be."

Jim shrugged again, not bothering to smile. At least, for now, it was only temporary. "Well, cool then. Guess I have something to look forward to in a few days."  
"Keep your hopes high, lad! It's going to blow us away!"


	4. The Landing

"_All evacuating ships will launch in approximately five minutes," _yelled the intercom. _"For your safety, we ask that all passengers remain clear of the upper deck during and after the launch until further notice."_

Jim sat close to his mother in the windowless passenger quarters. The Hawkins, along with the other passengers, huddled together without saying anything. Only fear and anxiety were written on their faces. Sarah, on the other hand, began to quietly weep, just as the ship's engines were powering up. Jim, lacking any words to comfort his mother, could only hug her tightly. "We'll make it through this, Mom."

Since the passenger quarters were close to the bottom of the ship, they could feel the full impact of the engines' solar power revving up. As the ship began to accelerate from the ground and into the air, Jim could only picture a final image of Montressor. In just a few hours, an asteroid will create a deep impact on the ship, sending smoke and darkness all over the planet. In a way, he was relieved that the passengers were forbidden to go outside during the first few hours. He didn't want to see the planet get destroyed. He wanted to remember it the way it was _meant_ to be: a place called home.

* * *

The passengers were forbidden to go outside until three days after the ship's launch. When the restriction was lifted, hundreds of survivors flocked to the upper decks to see the fate of their planet. And by all costs, Jim avoided every opportunity to go on deck, lest he wanted to feel the pain of seeing his home wrecked.

On the fifth day, the restlessness seemed to settle down. The talk about Montressor being destroyed began to die down, and instead people carried on with the subject about this mysterious island. During meal times, the most common conversation revolved around how beautiful this island was rumored to be. The passengers' eyes were filled with awe and wonder as they began to speculate what they might see in a day or two.

"What if, there are creatures just like us?"

"What if, the atmosphere there is better for us?"

Jim rolled his eyes as he overheard the passengers speak with such optimism.

"Mom, isn't it weird how just a few days ago, everyone here was moping about our planet getting destroyed, and now it seems like they've forgotten all about our home getting destroyed, and instead they're wanting to live in a place that's better for us."

Sarah was about to sip her soup, but put it down with a frown after Jim finished. "Jim, I'm sure you're not the only one upset about all this. But right now, all we can do is hope for a better life. We can't dwell in the past, only look to the future…"

Jim didn't answer back. Sometimes, he hated it when his mom was just trying to offer her words of wisdom. She was being optimistic just like everyone else, even though he knew deep down she was still heartbroken to see her home get destroyed.

"Jimmy, lad!"

Jim turned around to see Fox approach him and his mother at the table. He first greeted Sarah. "Why 'ello, miss! I'm Maurice Fox, captain of the ship." He offered his hand out to Sarah, which she shook. "Yer son Jimmy here is famous! The 'hole crew knows about him!"

Sarah could only chuckle. "Really, is that so? You should have seen his police record - !"

"MOM!" Jim glared at his mother to hush her up.

"Oh, Jim… I'm only teasing you!"

"Say, Jimmy, how about we go up on deck? I got somethin' to show ya."

Jim hesitated. "If it's to look at our wrecked home, I'll pass."

"No no! It's the island I talked about with ye! Come on! We got a great view!"

Jim wasn't too crazy about wanting to check out their potential new home, but he figured, it couldn't hurt. As long as he couldn't see his old home black and lifeless, he should be fine.

"I want to hear everything about this back in the passenger quarters," Sarah added with a smile.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever…" Jim dropped his dirty dishes into the washer and followed Fox up to the deck with a scowl.

* * *

"There it is, lad! Ye see that second star to the righ'? That's where we headin'!"  
Jim peered out to the stellar sky as he could see twin stars, the one to the right shining more brightly. Fox handed Jim a telescope. "Here, have a look for yerself."

Jim held the scope to his eye, and gasped, his blue orb widening with wonder. "Wow…"

Before his one eye, he could see rainbow shells surrounding the star. He adjusted the focus of the scope, and let out another gasp. "It's the island… I've never seen anything so green before."

"Told ye it was breathtaking!"  
"Yeah, you're right…" Jim replied, his voice this time not dripping with sarcasm. He held the scope to his eye again. "It looks even better than on the map you showed me. All the clouds are purely white, not like the gray dusty ones from back home."

Fox laid a hand on Jim's shoulder. "Jimmy, I can tell yer already getting excited!"

Jim gave a nervous chuckle and offered a half smile. _Maybe, Mom is right… There is something to be hopeful about. _He took another look through the telescope and felt his heart pound with excitement, and at the same time, apprehension.

* * *

"_The ship will be docking in approximately one hour," _the intercom yelled on the sixth day in space. The crowd cheered happily after the announcement. A party was held on ship the night before, to celebrate this as a day to a new beginning and life. Of course, Jim decided not to go, for he wasn't hundred percent comfortable about the idea of forgetting Montressor completely in order to start over. Nonetheless, he couldn't help the fact that the image of the beautiful island occupied most of his dreams in his sleep. Last night, he dreamed of himself surfing in the water, as the waves would crash and he would perform all of his stunts on the rolling waves.

He shook his head to come back to his senses. _No matter how beautiful that island is, I'm never going to forget Montressor. Nobody, not anyone, is going to tell me to forget about my home. _He ardently swore.

The ship came a smooth landing. From the passenger bunks, Jim could hear the sound of water splashing. _Water… whoa, the ship landed on water! _"Did you hear that, Mom?" But Sarah was too eager to get off the ship.

"Jim. We're getting off now." Her face was bright and smiling. She was clearly filled with excitement to see their potential home. She took Jim by the hand and led him out of the bunks. Morph swam out of his jacket and began to giggle.

"We're here, Morph. Welcome to our new home…" His voice was fairly optimistic, but at the same time, it was also dripped with skepticism.

When Jim stepped outside, he was taken by the smell of the fresh air. It smelled nothing like Montressor at all. Over there, it smelled like mines and oil. But here, it smelled like nature. The air was actually clean! The water was a light blue color, and not a sign of pollution could be seen. The island was the same bright green he had seen through the telescope. Only now, he could see the winds happily blowing the trees. _This is unlike anything I could ever imagine. This place is so bright. So unreal. So… perfect._

"Oh, Jim! Isn't this beautiful!" Sarah exclaimed as soon as they were off the galleyway that led them to the beach. She dipped her hand into the sand and breathed. "Jim! This place is so breathtaking…" Jim followed his mother and dipped his hand into the warm sand. "You're – you're right. It really is." He stood up and took another look at the green palm trees. They were just simply astonishing to behold before his eyes.

"_Attention all refugees_!" one of the sailors bellowed from the ship. _"By order of government officials, all refugees will be allowed to walk the island in non-restricted areas. All refugee lodgings shall remain inside the ship until investigators finish exploring the island and deem it appropriate to start building shelters."_

About an hour since the landing, most of the refugees began returning to the ships after finishing their first exploration of the island. Just as Jim was about to head back inside, Capt. Fox grasped his shoulder, causing him to jump.

"Say, Jimmy boy… I got a proposal for ye."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Well, ye see. The government has ordered a commission to investigate the island and make safety reports. The Island Bureau Agency. Being an appointed IBA officer, ye get to go deep into the island and witness first hand all the creatures! With your navigation skills and your knack for suspecting danger, we could use someone like ye!"

"Me? Joining the IBA?" Jim was shocked at the offer. He wondered, did his newfound fame have to do with this? "It's not you who's recruiting me?"

"No, Jim lad! I was asked by the head council to appoint you. Although, I was appointed to be the head of your squad." Fox winked his eye at Jim. "What do ye say?" Fox outstretched his hand for Jim to shake, should he want to accept the offer.

Jim looked at his hand for a long ten seconds. "Gee… I dunno." He scratched the back of his head.

"Come now, Jimmy. Yer mum would be so proud if ya did!"

Jim was still stubborn about the whole 'finding a better life' atmosphere that was going on. But then again… maybe, he could use a little adventure. He could make himself useful rather than just sit around and sulk about his decaying home. He didn't want to hear the survivors

talk about how marvelous their new home could be. Perhaps, joining the IBA could allow him to escape this anxiety and pressure. He needed to get off his bottom and do something to take the burden off his chest.

"Count me in."

* * *

_Jingle! Jingle! Jingle!_

"Ouch, Tink! Stop!" Slightly waved his hands violently at Tinkerbell with his eyes still closed. It was still early in the day and the Lost Boys were still sleeping. He continued to snore after Tinkerbell was pushed away. Frustrated, the little tinker fairy pushed Cubby's club onto to Slightly's head.  
"OW!" Slightly shouted, rousing all of the boys from their slumber.

"Boys, what's going on?" Peter Pan emerged from behind his bear rug. He flew on over to Slightly, who rubbed the bump on his forehead.  
"Tink, she did this to me!"

Peter turned to Tink to give her a stern glare, but before he could do so, Tink dashed right into his face and began to speak incessantly. Peter couldn't keep up with what she was trying to say.

"Whoa, Tink! Slow down there! You said you saw another ship? Dozens of them?"

Tink nodded her head frantically. "You mean it's not Hook and them?" She nodded again. Peter's youthful face turned cold. "Another band of pirates has invaded Neverland."

The Lost Boys gasped, and were suddenly wide awake after hearing Peter's declaration.

"You stay here boys, I'm gonna check this out for myself." With that, Peter darted out of their hideout, Hang Man's Tree, followed by Tinkerbell, and soared overhead to the oceanside.

"Tink, take me to the ship!" After his order, Tink sped up in front of him and then came to a halt. The tinker fairy repeatedly pointed to the row of ships lined on the beach.

"Hook, he's probably brought some friends here. Don't worry Tink, we'll make sure they get outta here, and never come back." Peter gave a firm of assurance to Tinkerbell. "Perhaps, these pirates could use a proper greeting. What do you say, Tink?" He gave Tinkerbell a sly smile. Trouble was written all over his face. In response, Tink happily clapped her hands. It was the perfect plan to handle another group of bad guys.

From down below, Peter could hear the sound of cracking branches getting stepped on. "Tink, we gotta hide!" He darted to a bush, readjusting his position to see through. "What are these… things?" _An orange furball dressed like a pirate? A fat one eyed monster? A pink goo thing? _

_Are these actually pirates?_

Suddenly, from behind the orange furball, was a species Peter had recognized before. A human.

"Looks like I spotted one of the pirates." He pointed to a boy in brown hair to let Tinkerbell see for herself.

"Tink, we gotta do something about this. Fast. Go back to the hideout and let the Lost Boys know. Tell them to start barricading the hideout. I'm gonna watch these guys before they start causing any trouble."


	5. Squad Ambush

**_Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of update! School has me pretty busy. Nevertheless I'm glad people are starting to follow this story! As always, I'm always welcome to more reviews! Thanks for all the support! Here's your newest chapter to The Conquest of Neverland!_**

* * *

Jim proudly strode down the galleyway from the ship and down to the island shore. He had just received his badge that earned him the title of IBA apprentice officer, meaning he had the privilege of being one of the first people to explore the island and its resources. After he broke the news to his mother, she had proudly embraced him. "Jim, I know you will do fabulously. Now go and make me proud!"

_Try not to look stupid. _He told himself as he ventured into the Neverland forests for the first time. He had planned to meet Fox and the rest of his squad there. Today, their first mission was to explore the west side of the island, which they had already charted on their handy map. The squad would also be given state of the art weapons and gear they had boarded on the ship on the day of evacuation. As a matter of fact, to Jim's delight, they would also be flying on solar surfers to help them move more efficiently around the island.

"Jimmy m'boy! Looking sharp there aren't ye?!" a beaming Capt. Fox greeted Jim with ever cheerful tone. "I'd like ye to meet the rest of yer squad! Jimmy, allow me to introduce ye to Agent Beckett, Agent Steel, and Agent Reese. Lads, this here is Agent Hawkins!"

The first one, Beckett, was a one-eyed brown-green alien with only two razor sharp canine teeth. Though he was considerably shorter than the rest of the squad, his arms and legs were nothing to underestimate. As Jim was about to reach out and shake the his hand, Beckett did not grab it, nor did he smile warmly. Instead, he threw his large fists into the earth, leaving a hole that deepened to about 2 feet. Slightly offended by the rude gesture, Jim could only back away from Beckett, not wanting to anger him anymore lest he try to destroy the island too quickly.

Steel, a leopard-like creature, stood tall and proud. "Pleasure to meet you, Hawkins." Steel gave a suave smile as he took Jim's hand with his furry paw. "It's funny, I never worked with humans back on the planet. My family preferred to eat them rather than do business with them."

_Creep._ Jim's face turned disgusted, while Steel only continued to smile slyly. _Why did Capt. Fox have to assign me to this squad? _

Finally, Jim turned to meet Reese, a koala-like creature of medium height, though he was quite pudgy. Jim offered his hand but Reese backed away from him with a sign of fear written on his face.

"Um, you okay?"

"Reese is a shy little guy." Fox gave Reese a hard slap on the back as Reese only cried out. "Poor fella's got a bit of a stutter. He prefers not to talk much."

Jim raised his eyebrow as he continued to stare at Reese's awkward complexion. Why on earth had Fox hired this guy in the first place? What potential did he have anyway?

"Alright, lads, here's yer plan." Fox unfolded a scroll of a map of the island. "I managed to chart the entire island in two days. You shouldn't get lost with it, but if ye do, you know how to reach me!" He waved in front of them a walkie-talkie. "It's no walkie-talkie, boyos! This walkie talkie allows you to keep records of danger zones and safe areas. Yer job is to investigate the island and confirm whether it is safe to make civilization there."  
"Where do we start?" Beckett spoke up for the first time.

On the map, Fox pointed to the rightmost side of the island. The map showed several tents surrounding the small portion of land. "I reckon it's some sort of camp. I need ye to check out what's out there, or who."

"You got it, Captain." Steel nodded to Fox with reassurance.

Jim felt a huge pang on his back, only to turn around and realize it was a cheery Fox who had done it. "Ye take care of Jimmy boy, lads! Watch out for him."

"Captain, I don't need this kind of treat – "

"Oh, Jimmy lad!" Fox messed up Jim's hair affectionately. "I know ye saved an entire crew from Treasure Planet, but yer still a young lad. In fact, yer the youngest agent of all the squads!"

Jim could only roll his eyes. Fox was treating him like he was still some kind of kid. If he still saw him as a kid, why did he hire him in the first place? Sure, the captain saw potential in Jim, but Jim just hated being thought of as young and naïve. He was beginning to grow fed up with Fox's optimistic attitude. He only wanted to make everything look like a joke. Even after praising Jim for his valiant efforts, he _still _thought Jim needed to be taken care of!

"Be off, lads! We meet back on the ship tonight!" Fox laid down his solar surfer on the earth, unspread its wings, and then rode off out of the island forests.

"Here." Beckett tossed Jim a large, heavy duffel bag. "You're gonna need it."  
As Jim caught the duffel bag, he almost tripped, but luckily he saved himself from embarrassment. "What's this for?"

"It's all your weapons. Lasers, traps, solar surfer."

"You sure you know how to use all of them?" asked Steel as he began to play with his whiskers.

Jim unzipped the duffel bag and held out one of the lasers. "Er, how does this work? Like.. this -?!" He pressed the red button that sent him falling on his back. A large fireball blasted out and left a large burnt hole in one of the trees.

"Fox doesn't need to teach any of his men how to use weapons. That's why you're no good. You'll be lucky trying to figure out those weapons without killing yourself," sneered Beckett.

"Hey, I don't know what is your problem!" Jim retorted as he stood up from the ground, ready to start a fight with Beckett if he dared to insult him again.

"Fox should have hired someone with more experience. Kid, you're no match for this island. You don't know what's out there."

"Listen, if you weren't on my squad, I'd take this laser and blast it right at ya!"

"Boys, boys, please calm down," interjected Steel as he split the two apart from nearly punching each other. "We have a mission to get done. So less fighting and more concentrating on our assignment. Jim, I'd suggest you familiarize yourself with those weapons before you cause more trouble."

"But I'm not trying to cause trou – !"

"Hush up, Jim. This mission has no room for complaints. Let's get going." The squad then turned their backs to him, as they continued marching through the forest, without a care in the world for their new teammate.

_Well, I did not sign up for this._ Jim sulked as he marched behind them. _I didn't ask to be treated like scum. I came to help the survivors. _

He didn't care if his team cared at all for this mission. Maybe, they were coerced into joining the IBA and only treated Jim with hostility because they'd rather lazy somewhere else. _Honestly, who cares about these guys? They may be strong or incredibly dim-witted, but none of them have the desire I have to save my home._

* * *

Steel led the troops on through the woods, map in hand. According to Steel, it would take the squad less than an hour to reach the tents, but the process seemed to go on for hours. Jim lagged behind the rest of the squad, wishing he could remain as far as possibly away from them, especially Steel and Beckett.

"Argh, how much longer, Steel?!"

"Patience, Agent Beckett. According to my calculations we should be there in twenty minutes."

"You said that forty minutes ago!"

"Patience, again, Beckett! The global positioning system is not able to accurately calculate distances on the island. We have yet to modify the gadget once we are finished physically studying the island."

Beckett only grunted, while Jim let out a loud sigh. He was growing just as impatient as Beckett, yet he made no big show of it, knowing he'd only get on Beckett's temper more…

"HIT THE DECK!" Steel waved his arms and fell flat on the ground.

_Whoa! What the - !_

It took Jim too long to duck that Beckett had to pull his shirt down to lower him. "Stupid boy!"

"Men, stay where you are. We've got company…" He began to slowly stand up from the dirt, his body hunched. "Reese, pick up that thing next you. Toss it here."

The koala-like alien hesitantly inched toward a wooden stick with a sharp piece of stone strung onto it. He began to quiver as he reached up to touch it, afraid it was going to inflict him with something strange. "Reese, hurry up!" Beckett impatiently bellowed, scaring Reese into clumsily tossing it over to Steel.

Steel pulled out a gadget and scanned a green light onto the mysterious weapon that was just thrown at them. "Interesting. This little thing is made out of wood and earth stone. I'm beginning to think the inhabitants here don't have what we call lasers."

Beckett took the weapon from Steel's hand and sniffed it. "Looks like a big joke to me."

"But very deadly to anyone struck by it. Keep an eye out men, there could be more - !"

"_AYAYAYAYYAAYYAYA!"_

A terrifying holler came plundering through the woods, as a mob of red-skin shirtless men came running toward the squad in a frenzy.

"WE'VE GOT COMPANY…!"

Jim's eyes widened, unprepared for the chasing mob that ran toward them. He pulled out his laser, ready to stun any one of them who dared to touch him.

"LOOK ALIVE, MEN!" Steel ordered as he pulled out his own weapon, one that outmatched Jim's laser by its immense size. "Have your surfers out and ready in case we need to retreat!"

The red-skins began to throw more crude objects at the squad, who struggled to fight off their advances by diverting their weapons or using their lasers to stun them. Jim was about to take his surfer out and prepare it for a possibly escape, but before he could turn it on, a burly man pushed him to the ground. His laser knocked out of hand, Jim was unequipped, and the red-skin crawled on top of him with a bladed sharp stone aimed to his throat. "Hey!" Jim gripped the attacker's wrists firmly, trying to prevent his throat from getting sliced. He began to grit his teeth with all the strength he wielded. He tried to push the man off his stomach, but the man's weight prevented him from doing so. "Get off - !" Jim pounded his hard fists onto the man's chest, before another punch, the man struck Jim's head with a rock. Unclenching his fists, Jim began to lose sight of everything before him. As soon as everything blurred out, Jim became disconnected from the entire world... He was unconscious.

* * *

"Wakey wakey, lad!"

Jim was irked from his unconscious state that he rubbed his head with confusion. "Wh- where am I?"

His vision began to become sharper, and before him stood a man whom Jim had never met before. "What the…What just happened?"

"Thought you could use some help, m'boy." His savior was tall, skinny man with black curly hair and thin whiskers. He offered his right hand to Jim to help hoist him up from the ground. To Jim's astonishment, his other hand was replaced with a silver hook.

"Whoa! Your hand! Wh-who are you?" Jim ventured to ask the man after he stood up.

"Me name's Captain James Hook, lad." He tipped his hat as he bowed before Jim and the rest of the exhausted squad. "Oh this old thing?" Hook gave brandished his fine hook in front of the men. "It's been years since it happened. A flying devil cut off me hand and fed it to the crocodile."

"Captain, we cannot thank you enough for everything! You saved us all!" Steel ran before Hook and gave him a quick hug out of complete gratitude and shame.

"Not a problem, old friend. Always willing to help those in need," Hook spoke sweetly with a dashing smile as he pulled out a cloth to polish his silver hook. But suddenly, his sweet, soothing voice went from calm to completely disturbing. "Smee, the Indians! See to it that my crew take these men captive and drag them to the ship!"

"Ai-aiye sir!" A short, plump bumbling fool with a red sailor cap saluted to Hook. "Ye heard what the Cap'n said! Take 'em back to the Jolly Roger!"

Jim was still sore from the ambush that he could not completely take in what was happening around him. His mind snapped back to reality when he heard grunts and hollers from the Indian warriors as burly pirates began to tighten a noose around their necks. "Whoa – wait! What are you - !"

"Ah, you must be James Hawkins! I'm Cap'n Hook - "

"Yeah – yeah, sure, but… WAIT! Who are those people?"

"Oh, those red felines? Why, Mr. Hawkins, they are only filthy devils! Me crew saved you and your crew's life from these little demons!"

"Jim, weren't you there? They nearly killed us!" shouted Steel.

"I – I was, but – "

"Not to worry, my dear boy. I assure you they will be in good hands on my ship. Smee, lead us back to the Jolly Roger! I want to treat these poor little fellows to me best rum!"

"Aiye, Cap'n! Right this way, men!" Smee cheerfully marched out of the forest as the squad and Hook followed from behind.

Jim remained in the very back along the trail. Yet, he wanted to keep close to also listen to the conversations between Hook and Steel. There was something extremely phony about the captain. He was such a gentleman to the nearly defeated squad, yet, Jim could sense that he had an affinity for brutality against the tribesmen. Even though the squad could have been killed in the ambush, Jim couldn't help but think about what Hook was going to do with them.

Suddenly, Jim's mind snapped back to their mission: explore the tent camp and give the IBA a report on the environment and safety. "Wait a minute – guys!" Jim waved from behind. "Shouldn't we be in the camp right now? Y'know... exploring the tents?"

"Not to worry, Jim," Steel replied. "I've already told Fox about the ambush and our new guide. Hook's going to tell us everything we need to know about this island, and what we can do to build a community here."  
"S-say.. what's the name of this island?" Reese quietly spoke up.

"Oh, my! Now why didn't I guess you men couldn't possibly know about this island's name?" Hook chuckled to himself with a cheeky grin. "Welcome to Neverland, m'lads."


	6. The Agreement

"Friends, welcome to the Jolly Roger!" Hook led the IBA squad onto the deck of his elegant ship. About a dozen crewmen sloshed the deck floors with mops and sponges as the guests took a moment to admire the ship. "Well she is quite a beauty!" exclaimed Steel as he rubbed some fine holly. "Oh, no, not this old thing! I had Smee command these old fools to clean up this rubbish. I couldn't just have such wonderful guests behold such a horrid sight!"

"Hey!" Jim was bumped from behind by a burly man with an eyepatch. He was shirtless, revealing red hair that hadn't been shaven off for months. "Watch it, scum bag!" The pirate sneered at Jim before walking away. Jim only rolled his eyes with annoyance, letting out an irritated sigh.

The captain seemed to not notice the pirate's ill-treatment to Jim. Instead, he began to lead them down to his quarters. "This way, men! Let's celebrate our victory with me best rum!"

The squad entered a red luxurious room, adorned with a fine maple desk and grand piano. "Please, sit!" As the squad took their seat on a soft sofa, Smee came dancing into the parlor with a tray full of rum. "Here you go, Captain – whoa!" Smee tripped over the parlor rug, falling face first, but luckily the captain was able to save the rum bottle from smashing. "Insolent fool!" He left the assistant lying there, whom Jim presumed to have fainted. "Leave him alone, he won't be waking up for a while."

As the squad held up empty glasses, Hook quickly poured a bit of rum into each. Jim held the rum to his nose, suspicious of what could be inside. "Jimmy, boy! Don't be afraid. It's very delectable! Why, a lot of pirates have tried to steal this bad boy from me. Thankfully, I keep it locked up in my closet."

"It's just – I – I am not sure I'm supposed to drink…"

"Nonsense, boy! A lad like you deserves to have a man's drink."

He set the glass on the table. "Maybe later."

The squad sipped their rum in silence as the captain began telling them about all of his pillages at sea. "_And there was that one time when I took all of this old fool's treasure, when he and his crew were sleeping! They didn't hear a thing_! … So tell me, men, what of all stars are you doing here?"

Naturally, Steel was the authoritative speaker to start. "We came from the planet Montressor, but unfortunately our home was obliterated by a nearby asteroid. We had to evacuate our entire population in just a matter of days."

"Oh, how dreadful! Please, do go on!"

"We spent all the time we had to find a new home for our refugees. That's how we found this star. It brims so beautifully, we knew this had to be a promising life source. Once we made the decision to evacuate to here, we had all our ships make the long journey here."

"Well, I'm so glad to hear you and your people are safe!" cooed Hook.

"But Captain, please let our people stay here. We have nowhere else to go. We didn't think anyone lived on the island, which is why we intended to take it for ourselves. If we can possibly work out a deal…"

"Oh no no. There is no deal needed to be made! You are all welcome to make settlement here. There is really no one else but savages on this island, thought you should know."

"Captain, we need your help," piped up Beckett.

"Oh, really. And what did you have in mind?"

"We need someone as knowledgeable as you to help us settle everyone onto the island. Me and the rest of my squad, we don't know what to expect out there. That's why we need a local resident of Neverland to help us build a home for our people," Steel finished for Beckett.

"Why, I am honored! I will be thrilled to be of assistance to you all!"

"In exchange for your help, Captain, perhaps we can assist you on all your treasure expeditions," Steel mentioned. He unloaded his backpack on the ground to reveal the Monstressor weapons. "I don't reckon you've seen one of these before?" He held up the laser gun, the one that Jim nearly killed himself with.

"My, what a beauty! I have not seen such a thing!"

"Captain, we can help you, if you help us build a community here…"

"You have my approval, sir. I am sure we will make a fabulous band of pirates!"

"Say, Captain, could you explain to us how you got that hook on your hand?" interrupted Reese.

"Oh, this wretched thing?" He stroked his hook softly as he spoke. "It was from a flying devil." He stood up from his seat dramatically, startling Jim a bit. "That devil of a boy, he brings nothing but trouble to this island. He cut off me hand, and threw it to a crocodile. Now the crocodile desires the rest of me flesh, because me hand was so tasty."

"Who was that boy?" Steel asked.

Hook twisted his whiskers with his hook as he muttered the boy's name with much contempt. "_Peter Pan_."

"So, tell me, Captain, will we ever run into this Peter Pan?" Steel asked.

But Hook did not answer his question. Instead, he began to pace around in the parlor, humming a soft tune. "_You know, I've got a grand idea_…" He said with a cheeky grin that made Jim stir.

"You say you wanted to build a civilization here, is that correct?"

"Indeed, sir."

Hook gently sat back down on his chair, took another sip of rum, stared earnestly at the squad. "Well, lads, if you want to build a 'civilization' here, that's going to take an endless amount of effort, and power."

"What do you mean, Captain?"  
"Remember how I told you that nothing else but savages live on the island? Well that's just exactly what you have to deal with."

"You mean… we have to eliminate them?"

"Ha! And you say you want to build civilization? My good friend, we will not be savages ourselves and try to make them extinct"  
"Then, what do we do?"  
Hook cleared his throat before starting. Anticipation only rose among the squad. Jim even sat forward on his seat from the sofa. "We need to enslave them."

"You don't mean…"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean! We make them do all our bidding, we tell them who has power over this island. They will be defenseless with our forces and weaponry! With men like you, we shall succeed in building civilization!"

"A brilliant idea!" Beckett, ready to fight as always, pounded his fists together.

"Agreed! We ought to teach those indigenous people how to behave!"

Jim sat back on the couch, not wanting to hear any more of the Captain's suggestions for how to help the Monstressorians. Slavery? Why must they do something as cruel as enforcing slavery?

"Jim, my boy! Why the hesitation?"

_Ah, shoot. He noticed._

"Go on, Jim, spit it out!" Steel urged Jim to speak up."  
Jim stood up from his seat, collected his thoughts, and spoke: "I mean, slavery, really? I mean, couldn't we just relocate to another island without having to bother anyone?"

"Don't be stupid, Jim! We can't tell the Montressorians that we have to move again!" Beckett bellowed.

"Jim, come with me outside," ordered Hook. "The rest of you lads, wait here."

Jim was hesitant to proceed forward. What did the captain want with him? "Well go on, Jim! The captain needs to speak with ya!"

"_Fine_." Jim trudged out of the captain's quarters and followed Hook outside. "What do you want with me?"

"Jim, think back to what happened just a few hours ago. What happened?"  
"Uh, we got attacked by Indians..?"  
"That's right, and what else?"

Jim didn't want to speak to this phony anymore, so he came up with a half answer. "We all got hurt."  
"Killed! You nearly got killed, today, lad! What would your mother say to that?"

Jim didn't answer, and instead looked away from the captain. Hook placed his one hand gently on Jim's shoulder. "I apologize for frightening you, Jim." _You don't frighten me, you disgust me! _"I'm only watching for your safety. If we let those Indians go, they will try to kill you again. Do you want that to happen again?"  
"No."

"Then what is the solution?"

"I – I don't know."

"Jim, think about your family, and the rest of all your people. Do you want all of them to suffer the fate you nearly suffered today? Think about what would happen if we didn't stop the tribesmen from slicing your mother's throat. What of that?"

Jim's heart wrenched. _No, not my mom... Please don't bring her into this._

"You cannot deny any of this, Jim. Whose life will it be? The natives, or your people?"  
Jim still did not answer. The captain was trying to tempt him into saying yes to his proposal.

"One cannot live while the other does."

Jim ran to the edge of the dock, away from the Captain, wrapping his face with his rough hands. "Please... stop…"

"Will you sacrifice your people for these savages?"

"Look, if I say yes, will you just shut up already?" Jim burst out of frustration. He didn't want to hear the captain trying to tempt him anymore. At this point, he just wanted to get the guy off his back.

Hook stopped talking, and instead looked down on Jim with a threatening glare. "_No boy is allowed to talk to me like that_."

"I'm not a boy, Captain. I'm fifteen."

"Ha! Only fifteen? You call that being a man?"

"I saved an entire crew from an exploding planet."

"Hush, boy!" The captain ran his silver hook through Jim's shirt collar, startling him to silence as he gazed into the menacing captain's eyes with horror. "We will go on with this mission, whether you like it or not. But if you don't agree to help me in enslaving the Neverlanders, I will see to it that your mother be fed to those cannibal tribes!"

Jim pushed the Captain's hook off of him, breaking free of his menacing glare. Yet, at the same time, he still felt trapped. He was stuck, torn between his commitment to his people, and to the horrible idea of forcing savages into intense labor. An image of his smiling mother came to mind, but then it shifted to an image of her in the hospital, covered with bandages to care for her wounds. It was then that Jim grasped what kind of danger they were now living in: their lives were threatened by the strong savage life force that could prevent their people from continuing on their lives. As much as Jim did not like the word 'slavery', he knew they needed to be barred from harming his people.

"Alright, then, fine." This time he spoke with more determination rather than hesitation. "I will do whatever it takes to make sure my mom and the rest of Montressor are safe."  
"Now that's the spirit, my lad. I knew I could convince you to agree to my proposal."

"But you have to promise me one thing. If my mom, or any of the refugees get hurt, I'm going to expose you."

"Not to worry, lad! Your mother and your people's safety will be secured in my one hand."


End file.
